Severe thunderstorms, high winds, hurricanes, and winter ice can take down lines, poles, and transformers with little warning. Our high voltage crews support PPL in two ways: day to day, building and maintaining the system, and in emergencies, mobilizing on call to restore power quickly and safely. Our crews have worked in 22 states, bringing experience across a wide range of utility systems, terrain, and weather conditions.
Throughout storm season, our IBEW line crews and equipment are positioned to roll as soon as our utility partners dispatch. Once on site, they assess damage, set poles, rebuild downed spans, and replace transformers, often in difficult conditions and on tight timelines.
▪ Overhead distribution construction and maintenance: new line builds, conductor and hardware upgrades, and service work
▪ Reconductoring: replacing aging or undersized conductor to increase capacity and reliability, including energized and de-energized work, sag and tension, and transfer of existing attachments
▪ DOT pole relocation projects: relocating poles and overhead facilities for state and municipal roadway projects, coordinating with transportation agencies, contractors, and joint-use attachers to keep projects on schedule
▪ Pole replacement programs: planned replacement of aging and deteriorated poles, including dead-end transfers and full equipment transfers
▪ Underground distribution: installing and maintaining underground systems, including primary and secondary cable pulls, splicing and terminations, riser poles and overhead-to-underground transitions, padmount transformer and switchgear sets, and conduit and duct bank installation
▪ Transmission work: construction and maintenance on higher-voltage lines supporting the regional grid
▪ Substation work: construction, upgrades, and maintenance inside utility substations
▪ Switching and clearance support: crews trained in utility switching and tagging procedures, coordinating with system operators to establish safe work zones
▪ Emergency and trouble response: rapid dispatch for storm damage and unplanned outages
